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1 killer weapon 8 things you'll love about the XM8
That's not official — the weapon is still the experimental XM8; there's testing yet to be done, contracts to be signed. But if any casino in this gambling mecca would take my bet that this is the American soldier's next rifle, I'd put some serious cash on the line. This former soldier, an old 11B, would stake that bet based on tips from sources and firsthand experience — I was privileged to be among the first shooting enthusiasts anywhere to put the XM8 to the test. That's thanks to good fortune — and my job as an editor at Army Times Publishing Co. and organizer of the annual "Shoot-out at Blackwater" weapons-testing event in North Carolina. The XM8s already underwent arctic tests in February, are now in the hands of troops in Alaska and are slated to undergo testing in the tropics (probably in Panama) in June. The Infantry Center at Fort Benning, Ga., is currently in the early stages of an eight-week assessment of the XM8 to see how the first prototypes of the weapon meet the small-arms needs of the Army. In addition to soldiers, the assessment will involve Marines, airmen and Coast Guard members. So far, all of the testing of the XM8 has been open to press coverage. But the senior leadership at Benning recently decided to deny access to reporters to ensure an unbiased assessment environment free of outside distractions, said Rich McDowell, Benning's public affairs officer. The XM8 will be put through a final workout in the desert — Arizona's Yuma Proving Ground is the likely spot — immediately after that. The Army remains mum about how tests are going, but program officials with manufacturer Heckler & Koch Defense Inc., prime contractor for the weapons, are confident the XM8s will measure up to the challenges of the environmental testing. They're so confident that they invited hundreds of journalists writing for defense, firearms and related publications to put three XM8 variants to the test during the annual SHOT Show here. On Feb. 11, about 120 firearms specialists gathered at the Las Vegas Police Department firing range to try out the new carbines. I was privileged to be the first journalist to fire the XM8 Baseline Carbine. I don't say that lightly. Two colleagues and I tried to find things that weren't quite right with the weapon's design and functioning, but failed on both accounts. Here are eight cool things shooters will like about the XM8: 1. It's light. The baseline carbine model currently weighs in at 6.25 pounds (the objective weight is 5.7 pounds), including an integrated sight with infrared laser and illuminator, red dot reflex sight and integrated mount. By comparison, an M4 modular weapon system with rail attachment, backup sights, M68 Close Combat Optic and standard laser/illuminator systems tips the scales at 8.85 pounds. 2. It comes with a cutting-edge sighting system. The XM8's battery-powered sight houses a red dot close-combat optic that incorporates an infrared laser aimer and illuminator. The shooter controls the sight's functions through a wireless switch that can be mounted anywhere on the weapon. The sight combines all the capabilities of the separate close-combat optic, AN/PEQ-2 laser and AN/PAQ-4 designator systems normally mounted on M4s. 3. It's easy to zero. The sight has a backup etched reticle and comes factory zeroed. It retains its zero position through a positive-locking mounting setup. 4. It has no rails. Designers fashioned integral, flush-mounting, metal-lined attachment points on the XM8's handguard and receiver. Standard 1913 adapters can be mounted on the attachment points so operators can continue to use lights, lasers and other items already in the inventory. 5. It needs little maintenance. H&K officials say the XM8 can fire more than 15,000 rounds without need for lubrication or cleaning, even under the most extreme operating conditions. 6. It's easy to clean. Unlike the M16/M4 series, the XM8's gas system doesn't blow gases and their carbon-fouling elements into the receiver during firing. Instead, about 90 percent of the gases created during firing are vented through a gas port under the front of the barrel; the other 10 percent are used to cycle the weapon. This new design reduces average cleaning time to four minutes, compared with the 14-minute average cleaning time for an M4. 7. It's tough. Between shooters, H&K officials alternated sticking the carbine in a drum of water and burying it in sand. Despite that treatment and the thousands of rounds put through the weapons at the range, there wasn't a single misfire or stoppage. The weapon's cold hammer-forged barrel has a service life of 20,000 rounds, and has blow-out vents to direct energy and gases from a catastrophic chamber failure forward and away from the shooter. 8. It's ambidextrous. Lefties will find a southpaw-friendly, centrally located charging handle that doubles as a forward assist slide, an ambidextrous magazine release, bolt catch, safety/selector lever and release lever for the multiposition, collapsible butt stock. All shooters will be able to keep their firing hand on the pistol grip while loading, unloading or charging the weapon. Putting it to the test Despite the XM8 carbine's light weight, it feels like the substantial weapon it is. That's important. Shooters won't be afraid to use it to its full potential, including using the double magazine as a firing support when shooting from the prone position. The tested weapons have a cyclic rate of fire of 750 rounds per minute — about average for assault weapons. More important, they have a sustained fire rate of 85 rpm for 210 rounds, compared with 50 rpm for 210 rounds for an M4. Although the tested weapons had only a semi-auto/full auto selector switch, company literature indicates a two- or three-round burst selector will be available as an option on production weapons. At 33.3 inches with the stock extended, the carbine's overall length is the same as a 14.5-inch barreled M4. It felt shorter than that, though, the first time I raised it to my shoulder. My eye was closer to the rear of the sight than I like when shooting, but the weapon's relatively mild recoil precluded forehead souvenirs. The eye/sight standoff distance will be a bit greater, of course, for shooters wearing ballistic vests and other combat gear. Trigger pull was sure and responsive. Popping off two- or three-round bursts was no problem and could be done with minimal (though perceptible) barrel climb. The weapon's ramped cheek rest allows a shooter to get a comfortable "cheek weld" on the stock, and allows the shooter to fire with his head up, rather than from a less natural position necessitated by other types of rear sights. The all-in-one optics eliminate the need to attach various accessories to a rail or upper receiver. The illuminated red-dot reticle delivers quick target acquisition with both eyes open. More important, the optics retain their zero even after being removed from and reinstalled on the weapon. The 30-round polymer magazines clip together at two half-moon connecting points. It will be interesting to see how well these stand up under hard use. Then again, metal magazines aren't soldier-proof. XM8 program officials plan to field a new bayonet/wire-cutter combo, manufactured by Camillus, with the carbine variant. Possible improvements About the only improvement my colleagues and I could suggest would involve integrating some type of ammo-level indicator — either a numeric device or a graduated bar — into the optical sight so the shooter would know precisely how much ammo remains in the magazine(s). The clear-sided magazine now makes it possible to do this with a glance, but that requires the shooter to look away from the enemy's direction. The Army is considering adding some type of lifetime monitoring system to each weapon, Army Times has learned, so data such as the number of rounds fired during a particular timeframe or over the entire life of a weapon could be retrieved by waving an electronic reader over the weapon. The system might also include the ability to inventory the weapons with an electronic reader. The bottom line: The XM8 looks like a new assault weapon that will be arriving soon at an arms room near you. From what I've seen, you won't be disappointed. |
